Blood, on the Rocks
by MercuryPilgrim
Summary: Toshiro Hitsugaya. Boy genius. Genius yes, but certainly not a boy. Curiosity killed the cat, satisfaction brought it back. But sometimes, the satisfaction is not enough, and the cat stays dead. "Captain? How old are you?" "Older than you think." Vampfic. Discontinued.


_Disclaimer: _I do not own Bleach or any of its affiliates. Anything that you recognise is property of its respective owners. Any relations to persons living or dead are purely coincidental.

_Base/s: _Bleach

_Title: _Blood, on the Rocks

_Summary: _Toshiro Hitsugaya. Boy genius. Genius yes, but certainly not a boy. Curiosity killed the cat, satisfaction brought it back. But sometimes, the satisfaction is not enough, and the cat stays dead. "Captain? How old are you?" "Older than you think."

_Music used for inspiration:_ Requiem for a Dream (Orchestral Version) – Clint Mansell, Cruel Man – Intwine, Numb – Linkin Park, This Aint a Scene – Fall Out Boy

_A/N:_ 'On the rocks' is drink speak for 'with ice'. So it's like 'whiskey, on the rocks' and you get a glass of whiskey with ice cubes, get it?

* * *

Captain Hitsugaya sat back in his chair and brought the glass up to his lips. Sighing in satisfaction, he relaxed and took a drink.

After a few minutes, he drained the last of the liquid and got up to wash the glass out. Satisfied that no clue as to what he had just done was immediately visible, he sat back down at his desk and continued to work. The clock ticked rhythmically on the wall. 3:47am.

The rustle of papers and the occasional tap of a brush hitting the side of the ink pot were the only sounds that filled the tenth division office.

The clock ticked on. The night slid by.

* * *

Rangiku Matsumoto dragged herself into her and her Captains office at around ten thirty. Most, if not all other Lieutenants had been at their Captains sides by eight if not earlier. But Matsumoto thought that while her Captain was mildly irritated by her lateness and general lack of productiveness, he didn't really mind. So, why not take advantage of a good thing while it's there? She thought.

Rubbing sleep from her eyes she saw the familiar figure of her Captain sitting diligently at his desk in the same position as she had left him the night before. The only difference was that the pile of papers in his Out pile was much larger than his In pile. Although that was soon to change. Eleven was the time when some unlucky lower seat delivered the workload for the day.

"Hey Captain." She greeted, holding in a yawn. He glanced up, a tiny frown on his face.

"Matsumoto. You're late. Again." He said.

"Sorry." She said, not really sounding it. He gave an 'I should have known' look and returned to his work.

She thought it was impossible that he could do so much work. The other Captains could barely do their own work and here he was doing hers on top of his already crippling workload. She felt bad sometimes and stayed to help out. He often shooed her away when her fidgeting grew to unacceptable levels. If she hadn't known better, she was sure that he didn't leave his desk all night. But she did know better, she passed the office almost every night around two and there were never any lights on. Therefore, he wasn't there.

Sitting down at her desk and pulling the simplest looking paper towards her and beginning to write, she mused that she didn't really know anything about her Captain. They were closer than most she knew, but what did she really know about him? His best friend in childhood was Momo Hinamori and he used to live with his grandmother. The rest was common knowledge in the Seireitei. He was a prodigy, a genius and the youngest ever Captain and he wielded Hyorinmaru, the strongest ice type Zanpakuto in all of the Soul Society. That was about it. Oh, and he loved watermelons.

That was it. Nothing more, a few habits she had picked up on but nothing major. Now that just wasn't fair, she thought. He knew loads about her and she knew next to nothing about him!

Her musings were interrupted by the arrival of the tenth divisions eighth seat, bearing a truly huge pile of work. Nervously giving it to her Captain and holding out the sheet for him to sign to say he had received it, the shy little eighth seat scurried out of the door as fast as he could. Giggling slightly at her Captains disgruntled expression, she studied him discreetly out of the corner of her eye. She scrutinised him, trying to discern some huge, mind boggling secret that she might possibly have missed before today.

"Matsumoto, you're staring."

She squeaked and inwardly cursed.

"Nothing Captain, just thinking." She replied in a tone of utmost innocence.

He eyed her shrewdly.

"If you must think about something, think about the pile of paperwork on your desk." He said.

She pouted.

"C'mon Captain, I can't do all of this!" she gestured dramatically to the relatively small pile of work.

"Would you like to swap?" he said in a tone that showed that he knew she wouldn't.

Looking at the towering mountain of work her Captain had sitting on his desk, she shook her head hurriedly.

"I'm fine thanks Captain. You can keep it."

He gave her an 'I thought so' look and bowed his head once again to tackle another paper.

Sighing and resigning herself to another mystery unsolved for now, Rangiku did the same.

Her hand hurt. She was thirsty. And hungry. And her ass had gone to sleep. Suffice to say, Rangiku Matsumoto wasn't the happiest person in the Soul Society.

_Bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored._

The only noise was the squeaking of her chair as she jiggled her leg up and down and the scratching of her captain writing his reports.

_Really really really really really bored._

Getting up, just for something to do, she went to make some tea. Pottering around in the kitchenette, she hummed as she waited for the water to boil.

She fetched the leaves but as she took them off the shelf, her grip shifted and the jar toppled onto the tiled floor. Wincing as the jar cracked and spilt teabags all over the floor she got onto her knees and began to gather them up.

"Matsumoto," she heard her Captains' voice, in a long suffering tone calling from the office. "Whatever it is, clean it up."

She winced again.

"Yes Captain!" she replied cheerfully, her face set in a scowl.

She muttered under her breath, ranting about stupid teabags and damn gravity.

"Matsumoto, I'm sure gravity is not conspiring against only you. I don't think the teabags did anything to deserve such a diatribe either."

Hitsugayas voice drifted through to her, vaguely humoured this time. _Why did he have to have such good hearing anyway? _She grumbled. _There was no way he could have heard that. It was damned unnatural, that's what it was._

As she continued picking up the scattered teabags, she noticed something that clashed with the tan of the floor tiles. A small red dot was near the counter. She bent over it and poked it. It was sticky and congealed around the edges but she had seen enough of the stuff to know it was blood.

Abandoning her teabag duty, she rushed into the main office. Her Captain looked up, startled as she burst in.

"Captain! Did you cut yourself?" she asked, worried despite the knowledge that such a tiny injury was nothing.

Hitsugaya looked lost.

"What? No, I don't recall doing so, why?" he asked.

"There's blood on the floor of the kitchen!" she said. "Are you _sure_ you didn't cut yourself? I won't laugh, I promi-"

"I didn't cut myself!" He said again. She studied him. He looked... agitated. Preoccupied and very slightly angry. It had taken her a very long time to be able to read him as she did.

"You... you want me to clean it up for you?" she asked tentatively.

He snapped back to her.

"Yes please." He said gratefully. "Thank you Matsumoto."

She went back to the kitchenette slowly, aware something was wrong but not having any clue as to what it might be.

Scrubbing the blood spot she watched it fade from existence. The only evidence it had ever been there was the slight pink stain on the damp cloth and the memory in her mind. Picking up the last of the teabags she absently dropped them into their respective cups and carried them out.

She set his on his desk and blew on hers as she sat.

If there was one thing she hated, it was not knowing something.

At first she had been so sure that something was wrong. She had watched her Captain like a hawk, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Absolutely nothing.

So she hadn't given up exactly... she was just taking a small break for an undefined length of time. Yeah, that was it.

She had forgotten about the little spot of blood on the floor, passing it off as her Captain not wanting to admit to cutting himself in the kitchen.

So life (or death) went on as it always had.

Poor Rangiku. She had _no _idea.

* * *

Hitsugaya opened the fridge in his office and sighed. He was out already. Damn, Unohana should have his next batch ready though. Walking back into the office where he saw his vice Captain asleep on the couch _again. _He checked the time, seven o'clock. He was going to have to hurry if he wanted to catch Unohana before she made her rounds and went home.

Just as he was closing the door behind him, his eighth seat rushed up to him.

The poor girl looked petrified to be in the presence of her Captain and his irritable mood didn't help.

After a full minute of fumbled apologies for disturbing him, which he tried to ignore. He broke in.

"_If_ you don't mind," he said sharply holding up a hand top stop her deluge of words. "What do you want?"

So maybe he was being a little rude, but damn it everything was getting on his nerves. His joints were aching and his stomach was rumbling something fierce.

The girl blushed and gabbled out her message.

"T-the Head Captain wanted to see you i-immediately, he s-said it was of great importance!"

Hitsugaya wanted to hit something. Preferably the Head Captain.

He swore and the little eighth seat looked scandalised. He sighed.

"My apologies. You are dismissed."

As she ran off, he opened the door to his office again and went to stand above his lieutenant.

Furrowing his brow, he bent over and poked her in the shoulder. No reaction. He did it again.

To his complete surprise, she let out a snore and grabbed the front of his kimono while snuggling into her chest. He let out an undignified yelp as he was forced very close to her face.

He gently tried to work himself free, his face was tinted red by the time he had gained his freedom and the clock was ticking.

He took a breath.

And whispered in her ear. She appeared to be able to ignore his shouting.

"Matsumoto." She snorted softly as his breath tickled her ear.

"Matsumoto, the office is on fire."

Snore.

"The sofa is on fire."

Mumble.

"_You're _on fire."

Dribble.

Nice. He was never sitting on that sofa again.

Sigh.

Time for drastic measures.

He gripped her ankles, she shifted to try and move him but he held on. The he tugged.

With a shriek and a few unladylike words, Rangiku tumbled off the sofa.

She looked up and her Captain with a pout. She rubbed her bottom where it had hit the floor.

"Captain! What was that for!" she complained.

He raised an eyebrow and offered her a hand to help her up. She took it.

Momentarily missing the time a few seconds before when he had had to look down on her, he gave her the answer.

"You were asleep." Well, not _all_ the answer.

"I know that, I swear, getting answers from you is like pulling teeth Captain!"

_Glad you noticed._

"I need you to go to Squad for and pick up a package from Unohana for me right away."

"Why?" she asked, naturally curious.

"Because I need it and I can't go myself. Yamamoto called a urgent meeting." He explained.

"Oh, alright then." She agreed.

He snorted, she made it sound like she had deigned to accept the request. Like she could refuse.

"Tell her I sent you, and please, don't look in it." He asked. He realised that it was a bad thing to say immediately afterwards, her face took on a frighteningly curious look.

"Why? What's in it?" she asked, sounding like a hungry lion.

"If I was going to tell you, do you really think I would have ordered you not to look in it? And it _is _an order. What's in there is very private." He said, turning on his heel and walking out of the door.

In the doorway he hesitated. He looked at her, she looked back.

"Matsumoto," he said, his voice slightly strained. "Do you not have somewhere to be?"

"No Captain." She said, looking confused.

"I'm pretty sure you do."

"Umm..."

"When I say right away Matsumoto, what so you think I mean by that?"

"Oh! Sorry sir!" He leaned to the side and let her run past him.

He shook his head and pushing down his concern, flash stepped in the direction of the meeting.

_End_


End file.
